Speculative fiction author. Freelance editor. Opinionated nerd.

R-10: ADULT SPACE OPERA: STARS AND SHADOWS

Title: STARS AND SHADOWS

Age Category: Adult

Genre: Space Opera

Word Count: 131,000

Pitch: To topple an empire, Lin will do anything–even recruit its prince accused of fratricide. The plan: infiltrate a space-bound prison. The goal: be the last one standing when their alliance inevitably goes to hell.

First 250 Words of the Manuscript:
Most things were prettier from far away. From space, Dalcon looked like a rotten apple.

The northern continent’s major metropolises bled into each other in moldy shades of black, eating away at the planet’s battered ecosystem, scarring the rust-red earth. Lin clung to the metal exterior of the station, which orbited like a hungry fly. As she crouched in the vacuum, the subliminal hum of her suit’s life support system filled her ears, an unwelcome reminder that she didn’t have much time left.

Damn cheap thing.

She could only hope everyone inside the station was already dead.

She mulled over her options, hating them all, silently cursing Nexus for sending her on this asinine mission. She’d have done it out loud for the catharsis, but that would have taken up more of her dwindling oxygen supply.

Her commander always had plans within plans within plans, and didn’t share the full scope of them. Half out of paranoia, half because he liked it when his little surprises went right and everyone marveled. If they went wrong, nobody had to know. It was starting to grate on Lin. She would have liked some warning, for instance, that she’d spend today hiding from the police, wearing a third-rate vac suit, hoping her booby traps inside the station killed the blackcoats before they got a chance to kill her.

Exposed to space, she’d probably last thirty seconds. Inside… If everything had gone wrong, which was decidedly likely, she might last a few minutes.

Cherry Pitfalls! What a great premise, and fun opening page! Please send your query and first 100 pages, along with a synopsis, to lauren@triadaus.com with “Pitch Madness: Adult Space Opera STARS AND SHADOWS” in the subject line. I look forward to reading! ~ Lauren Spieller, TriadaUS http://www.triadaus.com

Gumdrop Pass! I’d like to see your query + first 50 pages. Please send them as a word doc and include a full synopsis (1-2 pages, single spaced) to thao@dijkstraagency.com. Please use #pitchmadness and your title in the subject line. Looking forward to reading!